Chuck Holton

It has now been a long time since the beginning of the war on terror. Nearly a decade ago, our troops first put their boots on foreign soil to drive the barbarians back into their holes.

Since then, more than 5,000 Americans have given their lives in that endeavor.

Now today we finally got to watch the end of something. The last combat troops pulled out of Iraq, crossing back into Kuwait via a midnight convoy. Left are about 55,000 military advisers and support personnel, but as of today, combat operations in Iraq are officially over.

Left behind is an elected government where before there was tyranny - however tenuous its hold may be. The violence will most certainly continue - at least six Iraqis died today, and 67 perished yesterday in attacks.

But according to White House spokesman Bill Burton, "There obviously are still people who want to derail the advances that the Iraqi people have made toward democracy, but they are firmly on track. And we're confident that we're moving toward the end of our combat mission."

The mission now includes getting the rest of our troops out of Iraq by the end of next year. But even if that happens, America will still have a big stake in what happens in Iraq for many years to come.

There is still a long way to go in Iraq, and especially in Afghanistan. But at least for today, it's nice to see the end of something.